Paul Stirling has been picked up by the Bangladesh Premier League franchise Khulna Titans ahead of the 2019 BPL T20 tournament, starting on 5 January 2019.

Stirling, who recently returned from stints in the T10 League in Sharjah and the Everest T20 Premier League in Nepal, said: “I was delighted to hear that the Khulna Titans were interested in me and jumped at the opportunity. Apart from being a great tournament to be part of, I’m looking forward to the opportunity of working with coach Mahela Jayawardene – one of the greatest Sri Lankan batsman of the last 20 years.

“The squad has made the play-offs for two years running, and features a range of world-class players that I’ve played alongside or against over the last 10 years – including Dawid Malan who I play under at Middlesex.

“The rise of T20 tournaments around the world has really added a new dimension to the international cricket circuit. The chance to play and train with - and learn from - some of the best in our sport is an experience I do not take lightly, and off the cricket field you get a little bit of an insight into different cultures. The Nepalese experience, that I’ve just returned from, was eye-opening. To see such enthusiasm for cricket in a nation that is not typically top of mind in our sport is encouraging for cricket’s future.”

The Khulna Titans franchise was launched in 2016 to replace the Khulna Royal Bengals, which Stirling’s agent Niall O’Brien played for in 2012.